Posts Tagged ‘Values’

Most people wait until New Year’s to start contemplating the new year and setting resolutions and goals.  But, not the people that I hang out with.  You people are on fire!  It’s barely December and everyone I know is beginning to make some assessment of 2009 and some plans for 2010.  I have a process that I run through at the end of each year and I thought I’d share it with you.  They are my Ten Questions for Spectacular Direction:

1. What did I accomplish this year?
2. What were my biggest disappointments?
3. What did I learn?
4. What 10 things do I do that I love to do?
5. What 10 things do I do that I don’t love to do?  How can I stop doing some of these things?
6. What roles do I play in my life?  For help, look at these areas and determine which roles you play:  career, money, health & fitness, love life, friends & family, personal & spiritual development, environment, and fun& recreation.  I use sassy titles like “Mother of the Year” instead of “Mom” and “God’s Girl” instead of “Confirmation Teacher” and “The Woman of His Dreams” instead of “Wife” and “The Girl Everyone is Talking About” instead of “networker.”  We all play so many roles in our lives.  Consolidate them a little, make about 8 “Title Roles” and list the sub roles underneath them.  For example:  “Mother of the Year” might have sub roles: chef, taxi driver, cheerleader, tutor, housekeeper, coach, personal shopper, librarian, gamer and ATM.  “The Best Coach in SCV” might have roles like “Coach, CTI Ambassador, ICF Board Member, WE Marketing Coordinator, blogger, networker, Get Clients Now facilitator, etc.”
7. What are my goals for each of my top 8 Roles?  Set SMART Goals:  specific, measurable, achievable, resonant, and thrilling (that might be a little different than the SMART goals you are accustomed to – I’ll write more about that another day).
8. What one or two roles are my major focus for next year?  What are my top 10 goals for next year?
9. What’s really most important to me?  What are my top 4 values that will get me the results I want next year?  I call these my “Cornerstones” and I “run” my decisions through them.
10. What support do I need to achieve my goals?  Education, resources, consulting, coaching, a buddy, a support system, etc.

Okay, I know that there are really more than ten questions on that list.  But, it’s worth it and you’re worth it.  It normally takes me about 3 hours to go through the process.  I write down all my answers and produce a lovely little one page summary that I hang on my wall all year, which I also give a sassy name (last year’s was “Sunshine 2009″, this year’s is “Win in 2010″).  As a reward, I normally treat myself to a vision board.  If I’ve done it right, my goals are a little breath taking and I treat myself to a glass of champagne to celebrate the success that I am starring in the face.

Mother Teresa

No matter your politics or your religion, most people recognize Mother Teresa as a great woman.  Her life and her work celebrate the simple joy of loving, the greatness and dignity of all people and the value of doing little things faithfully and with love.  She inspires me in so many ways, but most notably by being a leader in the world who affected change with one small action at time.  The legacy she leaves us is the knowledge that small things matter and that everyone has something to contribute.  Everyone.  She said, “Do not wait for leaders.  Do it alone, person to person.”  What she may not recognize, in her humility, is that this is actually true leadership.  And this is the kind of leader that Mother Teresa was.  This reminds me to let go of the details and simply do the work that is in front of me now.  She also told us, “We can not do great things.  We can only do small things with great love.”  She reminds us that a smile heals and it is ours to give.  Smile at someone today.  She reminds us to love our neighbors, really.  For many of us, that means getting to know our neighbors.  And, with the holidays approaching, I also like to remember that Mother Teresa said, “If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.”  It is a small act of kindness and humanity and it is something tangible that we can all do.

Do you want to take your business, your relationships, your health or any other part of your life to the next level?  Get a coach!  People are always asking me how I get so much done in a day, a week, a month or a year.  People are always asking me why I am so happy and what’s my secret to my success.  Well, here it is, folks… I have a coach!  Here are 10 reasons why you should have one, too:

1. You want more – more time, more money, more fun, more happiness, more success, etc.  Most people come to coaching to get more out of their already amazing lives.
2. You want less – less drama, less c0nflict, less weight, fewer problems, etc.  Coaching is a great forum to explore problems and challenges and to learn more about yourself.  Coaches teach communication tools and personal responsibility.
3. You are stuck. Let’s face it.  We all get stuck sometimes.  Your coach will see where you are stuck, help you to see it and help you get into action while helping you learn more about yourself along the way.
4. You want more choices. Coaching is all about choice and choices.  Your coach will help you see that you always have choices and help you explore your choices so that you can get the results you are after in your life.
5. Accountability. Your coach will hold you accountable to do what you say you are going to do and to keep your commitments.  Your coach will use creative structures to help you succeed, even in areas where you have had challenges in the past.
6. You want more balance in your life. Most people who are successful struggle with life balance.  If one or more areas of your life is suffering from lack of attention, coaching can help you get results.
7. You’re bored. Do you have some habits (like over-eating, drinking, watching TV, etc) that are related to boredom?  Your coach will help you find new ways to get inspired and challenged without getting exhausted and overwhelmed.
8. You want to be more present in your life. Do what you love and love what you do.  Your coach will help you to be more in the experience of your life.  Most of us have built in ways of avoiding certain parts of our life.  Your coach will help you look at those areas and take action rather than living in reaction.
9. You want to find the easy way to do things. Life doesn’t have to be hard.  When things are hard, that is a sign that something’s not quite right.  Your coach will help you find the easy, fun way to reach your goals.
10. You are committed to a life of purpose. A coach can help you discover or clarify what your contribution to humanity is and help you develop an action plan to start making a bigger difference in the world.

I have been working with a life coach for over 5 years.  When I began coaching, I was looking for help balancing business and family and to fill the “what’s missing” in my life.  I have since built and sold a business, traveled to new and exciting places in the world with my husband and kids, built my coaching business, redesigned my life so that I can work from home between playing with my kids, and built an 8000 square foot custom home among other things.  Seriously, get a coach!  There is a coach available for every budget.  I am happy to give you a complimentary sample session or to refer you to an outstanding coach in any price range.

Request a sample session NOW!
661-255-2100 or Carrie@CarrieKish.com

10 Tips for Living an Extraordinary Life

1. Be Kind! Kindness is a choice that generally affects outcomes for the better. Choose the path of kindness. Meet people where they are at.

2. Be Peaceful! Focus on facts and intention. Carefully choose the meanings you assign. Acknowledge that everyone is doing the best that they can with the resources that they have.

3. Be Direct! Give up your stories and your complaints. Use stories for teaching and sharing. Deal with your problems directly. Take complaints to the source. Acknowledge your complaints as unspoken requests.

4. Be Responsible! There is no right or wrong. There is just commitment to the outcome.

5. Be Powerful! Be straight with your communication and take what you get. Speak the truth!

6. Be Courageous! Courage isn’t the absence of fear; it is acting in the face of fear. Acknowledge your fear and act anyway.

7. Have Integrity! Do what you say you will do when you say you will do it. When you don’t, acknowledge it, clean it up and make a new commitment. Honor your word.

8. Be Inspiring! Create new possibilities for yourself and others. Share new ideas with people so that they are moved, touched and inspired to action.

9. Be Charismatic! Be fully present. Give up your agenda and “trying to get somewhere”.

10. Have Fun! Life is too short to take yourself too seriously. Lighten up and have some fun.

Carrie Kish is a life coach who helps people live an extraordinary life.

We tend to be experts in our problems. Most of us have many, if not all, of the tools to solve our problems or to reach our goals and we still fall short. We know what to do, but we don’t do it and then we beat ourselves up about it.

What we don’t alway realize is that there are good reasons that we don’t follow through with our plans. Our choices always serve us in some way. To really understand what is going on, it is helpful to start by looking at your values. To discover your values, consider the following questions: What is most important to you? What is life really about? What do you love? What is something that your friends would say you’ve totally got “handled”? What drives you crazy? What books/movies/TV shows do you love/hate and why? The answers to these questions will help uncover your values, what’s most important to you.

Often, we find ourselves cheating on our diets, skipping our exercise programs, procrastinating, avoiding relationship issues, wasting time on our computers instead of working, etc. When we find that we’re selling ourselves short, it is likely that we have a values conflict. We may value health and fitness, organization, or being on time and we may value something else like freedom, choice, free-time, variety or adventure even more.

Knowing what your values are and identifying your top five to ten values will help you understand a lot about yourself. For ultimate success, set goals and make plans according to what you value. When you find yourself in a values conflict, get curious, try to notice what’s most important to you and proceed with awareness and compassion.

Carrie Kish is a life coach and leadership trainer who specializes in helping people discover their values and live a more fulfilling life.